


Stockdale's Paradox

by AceAndBacon



Category: Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Life Debt, Power Dynamics, Women In Power
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-05-15 05:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19289041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceAndBacon/pseuds/AceAndBacon
Summary: Aliya was taken in by the Cuttheart family many years ago. Her job is to gather intel on big name celebrities, businesses, and generally anyone on the upper levels of Loveland to be used by the family to further their goals. Aliya's Evol allows her to easily gather this information and bring it to the family without being detected. However, Aliya no longer wants to participate in the family business and makes plans to lead a normal life now that she's older. But first, she has to deal with the daughter of the family and heir to the Cuttheart legacy who has plans to become the queen of Loveland.





	1. Prologue - One Last Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This fic was created in the attempt to create a different type of main character for the Mr. Love Queen's Choice universe. I'm looking forward to seeing how this little experiment with my writing plays out. Thanks for reading!

“Shit, I’m already late.” A woman in her early twenties cursed as she looked at the time on her phone, picking up her pace to that of a light jog as she began to make her way down the main streets of Loveland. She wore a form fitting pair of jeans that were tucked into an old pair of black and white sneakers that she had quickly thrown on in order to rush to her impromptu meeting. In her hurry, she had thrown on a simple, white t-shirt alongside a black sports jacket with the words “No rain, no flowers” embroidered in red on the back. She tucked her long, curly hair into a black, knitted beanie and had bolted out of her apartment within minutes, messenger  bag in hand. When the cool, night air hit her sensitive, deep brown skin, she shuddered, wishing that the call had come at literally any other time. However, she had wasted no time in taking off when she realized that she was already 3 minutes past the appointed meeting time, knowing that this mistake could be her last if she wasn’t careful. 

 

Aliya’s paced slowed as she reached the streets of downtown Loveland, and she began to wonder if whatever powers that be had been watching her life up until this point had truly abandoned her. Any night that she was called by the Boss was bound to be filled with misfortune, but something felt even more… off that night. The main streets of Loveland gradually transitioned into a much more wild, neon-bathed area filled with nightclubs, bars, and God knows what else. Side streets with little to no light began to appear more frequently, and the sound of heavy bass and percussion from the various buildings crept their way into her ears, overpowering the sound of her headphones as she made her way down the sidewalk. The street lights began to flicker as she slowly approached a large, brick building with a bright pink neon sign that spelled the word “Pariah” in cursive lettering. 

 

There were two women standing on either side of the door: one a short, lean, dark-skinned woman with a bright blue mohawk and diamond piercings in her left her ear; and the other a light skinned, tall, thickly built woman with hot pink hair styled in two afro puffs that rested on the top of her head. The blue haired woman appeared to be texting on her phone, while the pink haired woman had been leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, appearing to be disinterested in what was going on.

 

“Diamond. Xena.” Aliya spoke, acknowledging the two. Without looking up from her phone, the blue haired woman, Diamond, threw up a peace sign to Aliya in greeting while Xena used a hand to open the door without a word. 

 

“Boss is in a good mood today. Don’t fuck it up.” said Diamond as she continued to mess with her phone. 

 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Also, get off your phone, Di.” said Aliya as she playfully waved her hand in front of Diamond’s face to get her attention.

 

“Fuck you, Ali.” 

 

As Aliya entered the nightclub, she was hit by flashing lights, the smell of expensive cocktails, and the vibration of heavy bass and 808’s. The walls were painted black, and the sleek tile floor was colored similarly with sparkling stones embedded into the stonework. There were various red and black leather couches spread throughout the club, alongside small, white marble tables and zebra print rugs in the sitting areas. There were two levels to the club, and the upper layer had glass walls that overlooked the main floor, allowing those on the upper rung to observe the ones down below. The stairs to the upper seated areas being guarded by security, who were either lazily sitting on the steps or leaning against the railing in a relaxed manner. Near each set of stairs were various bar counters surrounding the main floor so that a drink was never too far away, encouraging clubgoers to buy as much as possible. Unfortunately for Aliya, Pariah was always packed at this time of night due to being open to the public, so she had to squeeze through the dancing clubgoers to get to her destination. 

 

After making her way to the back set of stairs, she spotted a pair of twins sitting on two different steps, each with a cigarette in hand. The two twins both had pale skin and dark brown hair styled into a pixie cut, a bored expression on each of their faces as they took a drag of their cigarettes. 

 

“You’re late.” said the twin on the left. They were unfamiliar to Aliya, even though they seemed to recognize her, she could only assume that they were recent hires. 

 

“Thanks, captain obvious. Do you wanna make me more late, or do you wanna let me through?” asked Aliya, clearly not in the mood for any attitude. The woman scowled in response, and her sister quickly intervened.

 

“One second.” she said as she nodded in the direction of the upper floor, as if ordering her sister to move. The two made their way up the stairs, and Aliya impatiently folded her arms and sighed. After only a minute or so, one of the twins returned and gestured for Aliya to follow. She complied immediately, gripping the messenger bag tightly  as she climbed the translucent stairs to the second floor. Once they had reached the top, one of the twins was standing on the right side of a white leather couch, looking straight ahead with a stern expression. The other twin followed suit and stood on the left said, placing her hands behind her back and looking straight ahead, at attention. Aliya’s eyes went to the figure on the couch, the person that she was here to see, and resisted the urge to frown.

 

Sitting on the center of the couch was a tall woman with long blonde hair and bright green eyes. She wore bright red lipstick and a matching, strapless, bright red dress that clung to her body- following every curve and wave until it stopped at her knees. She wore golden sandals with eight-inch heels that Aliya would bet were made of real fold. Her toes and nails were both painted bright red to match the theme of her outfit, which didn’t surprise Aliya at all. This woman would change her entire body to match a cute outfit if she could. 

 

The woman was frowning  momentarily, though after looking Aliya up and down, she smiled brightly and began squeal with glee. She quickly stood from the expensive couch, shrieking with excitement as she ran up to Aliya, embracing her tightly as she giggled. 

 

“There she is! Ali, baby!” The woman’s cheery voice caused Aliya to flinch as she approached, dragging out each vowel with emphasis as she greeted her old friend. “It’s so good to see you! Ooh, and the girls at the door told me you have a gift for me, right~? Come on, where’s my present?” The woman asked, clasping her hands together expectantly. 

 

Aliya sighed and reached into her bag, pulling out a sealed black folder with the image of a cartoon kitten riding on a motorcycle on the front. 

 

“Got it right here, Carrie. As promised.” said Aliya blankly as she held out the folder. 

 

“You did it!” Carrie screeched as she snatched the folder and spun around, holding it to her chest. “And you put it in such cute packaging! You know how much I love Pusheen, you went all out this time!” she said as she reached her hand out to the woman who had been standing to the left of the couch. Within moments, the woman had placed a small knife into Carrie’s hand. “Nice, very nice. Yep, this will do it!” said Carrie as she cut the folder open and began to flip through the pages inside of the folder. Each page was filled with various profiles of businesses- along with classified information into the lives of various employees including address, family members, degree, school, deleted messages, phone numbers… everything you could know about a person was in the file. 

 

“You never do fail to please. Though, that’s not actually what I called you for. Now, I know I rang you up at short notice, but you know how these things are, don’t you? So come, sit! I have some big news for you.” Carrie happily sauntered back to the couch, her heels clicking pointedly against the black tiled floor as she made her way to her seat, kissing the folder as she sat down. 

 

Aliya’s expression wavered momentarily, and she placed her hand on her hip before saying, “No  offense, Carrie, I love you, but I got things to do. Can’t it wait? I just wanted to drop the stuff off and be on my way.” she claimed, causing the two women on the side of the couch to nervously glance at one another. Carrie frowned and tapped her brightly colored fingernails against the folder in her lap.

 

“No. It can’t wait. Now, sit.” This time, the invitation came through gritted teeth, almost like a hiss. All signs of the bright and cheerful Carrie had disappeared, but only momentarily. “After all, it’s something you’re going to like. I  _ really _ suggest you sit and have a drink with me. We’re like family, aren’t we?” she asked, smiling again as she patted the seat next to her. 

 

Aliya took the not too subtle hint and sat down on the couch as far away from Carrie as possible, looking annoyed as she rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward, sighing. She pulled the beanie off of her head and gripped it tightly in her hands as she looked at the floor. 

 

“Good, good! Now, we can get started!” Carrie giggled as she clasped her hands together again, looking very pleased with herself. “Can I get you anything? Chardonnay? Dom Perignon? Oh, no, you’re a sangria girl, aren’t you?” she asked thoughtfully, crossing her legs and leaning back against the seat. 

 

“Ah, no, I’m good. I’ve been cutting back.” said Aliya as she nervously began to tap her foot against the tile. “Anyway, you said you had good news?” The plan was to change the subject, which would hopefully prevent Carrie from getting offended about her rejection of the alcohol… 

 

“Oh right! The news!” Plan successful. “Yes, yes, that  _ is  _ what I called you for after all.” said Carrie as she turned to face Aliya. 

 

“I’ve been thinking about what you said. About stopping all of… this.” said Carrie as she gently  tapped the Pusheen folder. “Threatening business owners, blackmailing cops, monopolizing the Black Market, fighting turf wars with Yakuza-  it’s absolutely  _ exhausting. _ ” started the blonde, dramatically putting a hand to her forehead and sighing. Aliya arched an eyebrow at her, wondering where exactly this conversation was going. Carrie always had a penchant for dramatics, and it was impossible to tell when she would get to her point. “And you know, doing all this work is starting to get us so little payback, I mean, come on. I practically own all of the banks in the city, we’re taking serious coin from the Black Market investors, AND I run four of the hottest clubs in Loveland! I mean, Pariah ALONE can easily make me six figures and I don't have to lift a finger. What’s the point in making moves when everything is moving itself?” 

 

Carrie then quickly scooched close to Aliya, grabbing her hands and gripping them tightly. 

 

“You were absolutely right, Ali. We should stop this. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for me either.” As Carrie looked into Aliya’s eyes, she felt that something was seriously wrong. For one,  Carrie had never, ever, EVER said that she was right, even when they were kids. Secondly, she couldn’t see this woman just dropping all of her assets and deciding to go and live life as a model citizen. No way. 

 

“Carrie… Are you high?” asked Aliya seriously, causing Carrie to look surprised for a moment before laughing. 

 

“Oh, let me clutch my pearls, absolutely not! I  _ sell _ drugs, sweetie, I don’t  _ do _ drugs.” she said as she gently tossed her hair. “I’m saying, that I understand what you mean. All of this isn’t doing us any good. So!” Carrie clapped her hands excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “I have a new plan.” 

 

“Oh, joy. Yippee. What, are we going to go into the petting zoo business?” asked Aliya sarcastically, causing Carrie’s eyes to widen. 

 

“Patricia, write that down.” she said seriously as she pointed to the twin standing on the left. To Aliya’s surprise, the woman actually pulled out a notepad and began to jot down… something. 

 

“Excellent idea, but stop distracting me!” said the blonde as she playfully smacked Aliya’s arm. “I’m saying, we need to stop  _ this _ . And focus on moving to something bigger. Something SO big that even mama and papa would be proud of us!” Carrie’s eyes practically sparkled as she stood and began to take a few deep breaths, as if preparing for a big presentation. “Something so crazy, something so… so unbelievably insane that if we pull it off? We’ll be set for lifetimes!” as Carrie continued to speak, Aliya felt a strong sense of foreboding and discomfort stir in the pit of her stomach. 

 

“We’re going to hit LFG!” Carrie began to jump up and down, giggling to herself like a madwoman as Aliya stared at her, silent for almost five whole minutes. “Well? Well?” 

 

“So, you ARE high?” asked Aliya, squinting at her excited friend. 

“Oh, stop it, I’ve already made preparations for you.” said Carrie as she waved her hand dismissively. “It’s a brilliant idea. If we own LFG, we own Loveland! We’ve been bothering with small fry for so long that we forgot that there are WAY bigger fish in the sea! Besides, it was technically your idea-” 

 

“I told you I wanted to stop doing this shit, period!” shouted Aliya, standing from the couch. The twins moved in between her and Carrie, looking at her with a threatening gaze. However, Carrie only appeared  momentarily surprised before covering her mouth and beginning to laugh. 

 

“What? Are you serious? You’re going to ‘stop this shit’ and do  _ what,  _ exactly?” asked the blonde as she slowly approached Aliya, causing the twins to move aside. “Going to become an upstanding citizen of Loveland? Why would you ever want to do something stupid like that?” she asked in a bored tone. 

 

“I’m tired, Carrie. What you’re doing is wrong. You can’t just threaten people for money-” 

 

“Oh PLEASE, this again? You and your goddamn ‘morals’ or whatever. What has the world ever given you for you to care about these strangers?” asked Carrie coldly, pulling a page out of the folder and holding it up to Aliya’s face. “Tell me, what’s so important about Yuki, or Bradley, or Trisha? What connection do you have to Hollow, Jade or Liz? Nothing!” she hissed before pulling the file back and sighing. “Ali, you are giving me a headache with this nonsense.” 

 

“It’s not nonsense!” snapped Aliya, looking at Carrie with disbelief. “You’ve gone too far. I never liked doing this in the first place.’ 

“‘Blah blah, gone too far, meh meh meh, never liked doing this-’ oh be quiet. We’re rich, bitch!” said Carrie as she laughed again. “Who needs something as useless as morals when you can have MONEY. And we’re going to make a hell of a lot more when we have LFG in the palm of our hand. And it WILL be in the palm of our hand, now won’t it?” she asked as she held the knife up to Aliya’s face. 

 

“Get that out of my face before I take it from you.” said Aliya as she looked up at Carrie, staring her down. 

 

“I’d really love to see you try.” said Carrie with a patient tone. For what felt like forever, the two stood there in silence until Carrie sighed and handed the knife to one of the twins. 

 

“Ugh, I just HATE fighting with you like this, Ali. We used to be so close and now you’re all wrapped up in some fantasy about moral standing and principles and whatnot. You even had such a good idea about petting zoos and ruined it with this fantasy talk.” said Carrie thoughtfully, causing Aliya to stare at er in disbelief. 

 

“You know, mama saw something special in you when she pulled you off the street. Even before these… powers of yours, she knew that you were going to be the pride and joy of this little empire of ours.” said Carrie with a look of nostalgia on her face. “She always told us to take care of each other, didn’t she? That’s why I always tried to give you a fair share. Always, always, ALWAYS tried to give you what you deserved. You didn’t complain much when food was getting into your belly, were you? But now, you really want to go back to living on the street like a stray. Mama would be heartbroken to know that you prefer THAT to keeping your loyalties with the Cuttheart family.” 

 

“That’s not going to work, Carrie. I already told you that this was the last time. I mean no disrespect to you or to your family, but I am out of the game.” said Aliya quietly, avoiding Carrie’s scrutinizing gaze. Bringing up Mama Cuttheart wasn’t fair, and Aliya felt a pang of guilt at the notion of her actions being perceived as betrayal. 

 

For the first time in forever, Carrie was silent. She paced around the room for a few minutes, a tense air filling the room as Aliya watched her friend move around the space. The twins appeared to be uncomfortable, neither daring to make a move at the risk of being on the wrong end of Carrie’s rage. The blonde suddenly stopped  pacing and turned to Aliya with a contemplative expression.

 

“Tell you what, sweetheart. I’ll make a deal with you.” she said, gently running a hand over the folder she was carrying. “You  _ will _ help me with LFG. And then after that, I’ll cut you loose.” she said calmly, causing Aliya to arch an eyebrow in suspicion. 

 

“No deal. I told you: I’m done.” 

 

“Yes, deal. Keep in mind that everything you’ve done in your life up until this point is on our records. Or did you think that you could just walk away and live some normal, boring life without any repercussions?” asked Carrie casually. “Of course, we have recorded conversations, papers with your finger prints, camera footage… I think that your many years in our service would be of great interest to the police. Especially considering that rather uncanny ability you have.  Honestly, dear, it really is unsettling.” she claimed, holding up a small flash drive with what Aliya assumed to be the amounted evidence against her that Carrie had mentioned.

 

An unreadable expression passed through her face as Carrie called her Evol “uncanny” and “unsettling” and Aliya quickly responded. “You’ll go down too.” 

 

“Ah, no. See, all those friends that you made me in those very high places? They’ve always been  _ very  _ willing to let some things slide on my behalf. Or, did you forget that you graciously gave me a beautiful chunk of intel on the PD too?” she asked, looking genuinely surprised. “I’m worried about your memory. Have you been taking your iron pills?” 

 

Aliya’s eye twitched as she remembered that Carrie was the one who controlled the usage of the info she had “collected,” and that no one outside of the family even knew that Aliya existed. That was part of the deal- nobody would know who she was, and she would live her life in peace so long as she did  what she was told and delivered. She had no power in the organization, and certainly had no interaction with their “clients.” 

 

“... This is really the last time?” asked Aliya after she had collected her thoughts. 

 

“Absolutely. And tell you what, I’ll even let you dispose of the evidence yourself.” 

 

Aliya glanced at the flash drive and reached for it, causing Carrie to quickly pull it out of reach. “Ah-ah-ah, not until you deliver. Consider this your payment for getting me  LFG. Oh, and I’ll make it cover this beautiful gift you just gave me, too. You didn’t want cash or anything for that, right? I mean, it’s only fair, so you don’t mind.” asked Carrie, causing Aliya roll her eyes. 

 

“Of course not. Keep the cash.” said Aliya, murmuring the word “bitch” under her breath afterwards. 

 

“Excellent! I knew you’d come through for me, Ali~!” cooed Carrie as she stuffed the flash drive into the  folder. After sighing, she sat back on the couch, crossing her legs and looking deep in thought. “It’s such a shame, we always made such a good team. I’m going to miss you, you know.” she said, causing Aliya to frown a bit. 

 

“Somehow, I doubt that,” she scoffed. “So, when are we doing this?” 

 

Carrie sighed in exasperation and gestured to one of the twins, causing them to hand her her  phone. “Mmmm, it’s 11:37 PM now, so… I was thinking on giving you about three hours to prepare?” 

 

“What?!” shouted Aliya, causing Carrie to look offended. 

 

“I don’t know who you think you are shouting at, but I called you about an hour ago, so I think I’m being very generous with my timeline. Besides, that’s plenty of time for you, isn’t it? Like I said, I’ve had this prepped for weeks! We can’t push it back any further. Meet Diamond outside of the building at 1:30 and she’ll debrief you.” replied the blonde with another  dismissive wave of her hand.

 

“You said I had three hours.” 

 

“I changed my mind. Meet her at 1:00.” 

 

“Ugh, you’re impossible!” 

 

“Wanna make it 12:30?” asked Carrie in an innocent tone, causing Aliya to keep her mouth shut.  “That’s what I thought. Now go do whatever it is poor people do when they let their friends down.” she said with a pout, clearly still upset as she began to mess with her phone. 

 

The twins led Aliya out of the room, and she quickly stormed out of the club without looking back, quickly placing  the hate on her head and pulling the jacket tightly around herself. 

 

“This… This is the last time.” She didn’t know what the plan was, what Carrie wanted, or how the hell Carrie expected her to hit the biggest financial group in Loveland- not  to mention one of the biggest, well-known groups in the world. As the wind picked up, she felt her body shake from both the cold and her own anxiety, causing her to close her eyes and mentally prepare for what was to come. However, she could never have predicted that her decision and the events of that night would lead to an unavoidable disaster that would affect all of Loveland. 


	2. Chapter 1: A Drastic Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aliya has a plan for sneaking into LFG to get the files that Carrie requested with hopes that she would finally be free from her former friend's tyranny. However, there's only so many unknowns that you can plan for when it comes to these kind of things.

_ “Everything you can imagine is real.” _

_ -Pablo Picasso _

2:04 AM 

 

Goldman stood outside of the door to the LFG main building, arms folded with impatience and annoyance. He glanced at his watch, scowling when he saw the time. A few seconds later, a man wearing a black suit and tie hurried to open the door, causing Goldman to quickly enter. 

 

“Mr. Goldman, sir, sorry for making you wait-“

 

“I don’t have time to talk right now. I told you that this was urgent business and it took you five whole minutes to get down here!” The brown haired male sighed in exasperation as the guard quickly attempted to explain. 

 

“I-It’s my fault entirely, sir. It’s just that you’ve never left your badge at home before and you’re technically supposed to be off, so I was caught by surprise when you called.” 

 

“Well considering I had to rush here at an ungodly hour of the night, what do you expect? I don’t want any excuses. Don’t let it happen again.” said Goldman with a scowl, causing the guard to apologize once more. 

 

“Y-Yes sir, of course. It won’t happen again.” he said before bowing and quickly returning to his station. Moments afterwards, a smirk appeared on Goldman’s face as he made his way down the quiet corridor. 

 

“This guy seems like such a prick.” he snickered to himself as he entered the elevator. He arrived at the CEO’s floor in less than a minute, though he continued to walk as if the ride itself had wasted precious time. As he passed multiple security cameras, a thick, black mist  formed around each lens, effectively blocking their line of sight. With a pleased expression, the image of Goldman’s face faded- pale skin transitioning into a smooth brown; light brown hair gradually extending and shifting into tightly coiled locks of black; sturdy, streamlined body filling out into well-defined curves. 

 

As Aliya dropped the illusion of Goldman, she seemed relieved that her plan had gone as smoothly as expected. In fact, it was almost  _ too  _ easy. She began to wonder why Carrie had prepared so far in advance, and what her true motives were in all of this. However, There was no time to worry about that now- she surmised that she had about four minutes to get the goods and leave before someone realized that the black fog around the cameras wasn’t a technical error. It took her a good twenty seconds to get to the door of the CEO’s office. As she pushed on the door to prepare to pick the lock, she was surprised to find that the door was already open. 

 

“Shit!” she cursed to herself as she withdrew from the door, pressing herself against the wall to avoid alerting anyone that may be inside. 45 seconds down. The black fog surrounding the security cameras wavered a bit as she felt herself begin to panic, though she quickly regained her composure and focus, causing the dark mist to thicken once more.   She slowly leaned over to peak inside the room, discovering that there was nobody inside. However, she couldn’t relax just yet. If the door was unlocked, that meant somebody who had access to the room was in the building, and likely would be returning soon. 1 minute and 10 seconds down. 

 

She moved quickly, making her way inside the room and quickly heading to the drawer that had been marked on the map she was given. However, she saw something lying on the desk that caused her to pause. An open folder with various papers containing unfamiliar jargon laid strewn about, but what caught Aliya’s attention was one file with a familiar word in bolded, all caps letters.

 

“Evolver.” whispered Aliya, her hand hovering over the file. 2 minutes. Her eyes skimmed the pages until her eyes settled on a familiar-looking building- a research facility of sorts. She  squinted as her brain attempted to dig for deeply buried memories of a painful past. Suddenly, images flashed in her mind- restraints, needles, gloves, grey walls… As she looked up, the room had shifted and she found herself standing in a small cell. 

 

“No… No, it’s not real. None of this is real…” She attempted to calm herself down as the image of the cell became more and more clear. In front of her was a small girl, staring at the door to the cell with a clenched fist, a look of fierce determination in her eyes. She opened and closed her mouth- as if trying to speak, though Aliya couldn’t make out the words. The shadows of multiple figures could be seen through a crack in the bottom of the door until one stopped in the door, low whispers emerging from the other side. The girl gritted her teeth, clenching both fists, feet planted firmly to the floor. The handle to the door of the cell slowly turned, and Aliya tensed, eyes wide as she held her breath. 

 

Suddenly, there was a loud ringing sound. The illusion of the room wavered before disappearing completely as Aliya was brought back to reality by the sound of her phone going off. It was then that she remembered where she was, She cursed and quickly pulled out her phone, quickly answering it when she saw the video call request and who it was from.

 

“Hey, babe! I just called to see how you were doing, ask you how your night’s going-” the bright voice caused Aliya a great deal of irritation, especially since it was paired with the image of Carrie lounging lazily on a couch, completely unbothered. 

 

“What the fuck are you doing?! Why the hell would you call me  _ right now _ of all the times in the fucking world?!” hissed Aliya, causing Carrie to gasp in surprise. 

 

“Ugh, LANGUAGE, Ali, seriously. We’ve talked about this.” 

 

Aliya’s expression wavered as she heard voices in the distance down the hallway, seemingly moving closer to the room. Hell, the time didn’t even matter anymore- she had to act fast. 

 

“I don’t have time for this. I’m hanging up.”  At that, Aliya silenced her phone and quickly thought about the image of Goldman in her mind. Within seconds, her face was replaced by that of the  stressed assistant. Just as “Goldman” prepared to turn around, the door opened, revealing a tall, sharply dressed man with black hair and piercing, dark eyes. A look of surprise flashed on the man’s already-sour expression became even more displeased. 

 

“Don’t you have tonight off? And what are you doing in my office?” The man asked sternly as he entered his office and  made his way towards the desk, 

 

“Er…” 

 

“Speak up.” The man seemed impatient, and honestly, Aliya couldn’t blame him, considering the time of night. 

 

“I had some work left over that I needed to take care of. Just trying to stay ahead of the game, you know how it is, Mr. Victor- er, boss!” said the brown haired man  with an awkward smile. “As for your office, I uh, I just thought that I may have left some files in here, so I was going to check-” 

 

“Did I invite you into my office?” asked the man that Aliya recognized as Victor, frowning as he examined the papers on his desk. He was just as much of a dick in person as he was on file. 

 

“The door was open, so I-” 

 

“Answer the question.” A sharp, angry response from Victor caused Aliya to flinch before clearing her throat, her perfect imitation of Goldman’s voice filling the room as she attempted to apologize.

 

“Ah, no sir, you didn’t. I should never have come in here without your permission-” 

 

“Oh? So even an idiot like you can figure out when you’ve made a mistake that could cost you your livelihood? I’ve underestimated you.” The smooth, quick retort caused Aliya’s eye to twitch, though he quickly apologized once more. Did this guy seriously treat his employees like this? 

 

“Yes, sir. I understand. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go finish up those reports for you and you get out of your way!” Aliya quickly straightened the documents in her hand, tucking them  under her arm and quickly making her way to the door. 

 

“Hold it!” The man behind Aliya called, and for a split second, she wondered if the man noticed that there were papers missing from his desk. Or worse, noticed  that she wasn’t exactly the same Goldman that Victor was used to. 

 

“Y.. yes, sir?” 

 

“While you’re at it, make me some coffee. And close the door on your way out.” Said the man as he sat at his desk and began to type on his computer. 

 

Aliya seemed surprised and her expression momentarily turned bitter. “Yes, sir.” She left as quickly as possible, gently closing the door behind him as she tightly clutched the papers in her hands. Upon looking at the ceiling, she cursed under his breath, realizing that the cameras were no longer covered by the mist that she had created.

 

“I must’ve lost focus when I saw the picture of that freaky ass building.” she murmured as she quickly made his way down the hall once more. Those were questions and thoughts for another day, or in the very least for a time when she was not on the verge of spending her life in  prison. As she was walking, she practically ran into a pair of police officers that had been talking in the hallway. 

 

Wait, police? Not guards?

 

Aliya’s eyes narrowed and she quickened her pace, trying to slow and calm her breathing. If they saw the image of Goldman flickering in and out of existence, that would DEFINITELY cause a problem. But why were they there in the first place? Why was the CEO there? Diamond said that he was away on business and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow evening. And more importantly, why did he have those documents? 

 

“... me…”

 

Gotta get to the exit. The elevator would take much longer than it was worth, better to take the stairs. 

 

“....‘cuse me...” 

 

There were also the fire exits. Even if the head of the company noticed the documents missing, if she could just get out the door, they wouldn’t be able to do anything.

 

“HEY! Sir, I said to stop!” A loud voice caused Aliya to stop in her tracks, quickly turning to face the source of the yelling. 

 

“Ah, I’m sorry, I was just thinking about what to put in the Boss’s coffee… how can I help you?” Asked Aliya with a pleasant smile. “It’s pretty late, so I can’t talk for long.” 

 

The two officers glanced at one another before the first man spoke again. 

 

“It’s no problem. Are you Mr. Goldman?” 

 

The question sounded an alarm in Aliya’s head, however, hse didn’t let it show on Goldman’s face. 

 

“Why, yes I am. Is there a problem, officer?” 

 

There’s a storage room hidden around the corner of the hallway. It’s usually unlocked. 

 

“No, no problem. We just need to ask you a few questions about a call we received about half an hour ago.” 

 

Start walking. 

 

“A call? Sure, but I do have work to do, so make it quick.” Said Aliya as she began to make her way down to the other end of the hallway. 

 

“We got a call from an anonymous source regarding some suspicious activity in the building, so we came to check and make sure that everything was in order.” 

 

Keep walking.

 

“Oh? That’s odd. There isn’t usually much going on here. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. Probably just some bored kids making a prank call.” 

 

Almost there. Keep focus. Remain calm. 

 

“So, you haven’t seen anyone suspicious? When we spoke with the guard, he mentioned that you had trouble getting in the building earlier. But when we called you a few minutes ago, you said that you were at home and had no recollection of what the guard was talking about.” 

 

Now.

 

In that second, the image of Goldman faded to nothing, revealing Aliya’s form for a split second before a wall appeared between her and the officers. She took off running- quickly turning the corner and ducking into the storage room. She could hear the guards banging on the wall that she had created and she momentarily flashed back to a conversation that she had with Diamond when they were kids.

 

~~~~~

_ “So you can just make shit appear? Like magic? With something like that, can’t you just make a million dollars, buy a condo out in the Bahamas, end world hunger, and live out your life fat and happy?” A scrawny, dark skinned child with long, deep blue hair was sitting inside a tiny cell, sitting on the small bed and swinging her legs back and forth. She was talking to another, younger girl that had snuck out of her own little prison and had made her way into the older girl’s room. The smaller girl had soft, brown skin, chubby cheeks, and black haired pulled into tight braids, a timid expression on her face. “Or get a key, and bust us out of here.” Murmured the blue haired child taking a bite into an apple that she had saved from earlier. _

 

_ The girl with braids scoffed and shook her head.  _

 

_ “I wish! It doesn’t work that way, Di.” _

 

_ “Why not? Seems to be how it works. You think it, you want it, you got it, right?” Asked the blue haired girl, causing the younger of the two to think for a moment.  _

 

_ “Well, no. The stuff that comes out of my head- the stuff that appears, it’s not real. No matter how badly I want them to be real. They’re just… illusions. That’s what the White Coats said.” She explained with a small frown. _

 

_ “Bullshit. I’ve seen what you can do when you’re at max power- those aren’t illusions. That shit is real.” At this point, Diamond seemed annoyed at the fact that Aliya hadn’t basically imagined a skeleton key that would help them escape this hell hole.  _

 

_ “It’s only real if YOU think it is.” Said Aliya with exasperation. She tossed another apple at Diamond, who caught it easily, before saying. “I just imagined that, it’s not real food.”  _

 

_ Moments after Aliya had said this, the apple phased through Diamond’s hand dropping to the ground and causing her to look surprised.  _

 

_ “Whoa, how did you do that?”  _

 

_ “I didn’t. You did. When I told you it wasn’t real, you stopped believing in it. So, it became a regular illusion again.” As Aliya explained. Diamond repeatedly attempted to pick up the imaginary apple before huffing and placing her hands on her hips. _

 

_ “Laaaaaame. Your superpower depends on other people!” Said Diamond as she stuck out her tongue. _

 

_ “That and if I’m not focused on what I’ve made, it’ll disappear. So food, money- that stuff can only be in this world if I’m thinking about it. The minute I stop thinking about it, or the minute someone doubts its reality, everyone goes back to starving and everyone stays poor. Plus it’s hard! I get really sleepy when I try to make stuff. I have to know what it looks like, feels like, smells like...” Aliya seemed sad as she said this, a feeling of helplessness creeping up inside of her. ”If I mess up, it falls apart.”  _

 

_ “But if you practice, you could get us out of here, right? You just gotta think!” said Diamond as she pointed at her head. “You’re smarter than most of us. Just think of what you could do if you really get a handle on this thing. You could save everyone! Even if it isn’t real, you just gotta make them think it’s real to make it work. Those White Coats won’t know what hit ‘em!” As Diamond  said this, Aliya frowned again, looking rather doubtful. _

 

_ “I… I really don’t think that I can do something like that.”  _

 

_ “You did it with that freaky apple, right? You believed you could make an apple, so you did. I was even able to hold it this time! You’ve got a gift that runs on belief, so you’ll just have to always be confident. I believe in you, so now you just gotta believe in yourself, right?”  _

~~~

Aliya was brought back to the present by the vibration of her phone and she cursed as she answered Carrie’s call for the second time. It only took that split second for Aliya to lose focus, causing the wall that she had created to disappear. She heard running footsteps and yelling pass her door as she covered the speaker of her phone, holding her breath as she tried to stay quiet. After a few moments, she quickly glared at the screen of her phone. 

 

“Carrie, what the fuck?! Victor is HERE! You said he was on a business trip! And now the cops are here, saying they got some sort of call- what the hell is going on?!” Whispered Aliya harshly, gripping her hair tightly as the loud sounds of the policemen continued to get further and further away from her. 

 

“Well before you HUNG UP on me, quite rudely might I add, I was TRYING to explain the situation to you. But it sounds like you’ve already figured it out, huh?” The expression on Carrie’s face in the video was a twisted mixture of amusement and annoyance. “I was calling to give you a head start, but you’ve wasted that, it seems.” said the blonde thoughtfully. 

 

Aliya paused for a moment, and within seconds, her expression filled with rage. 

 

“You filthy fucking rat- you set me up!” hissed Aliya as she glared into the phone. 

 

“Aw,  _ pobrecita,  _ you look so damn cute when you’re upset, I could just eat you up!” said Carrie with a giggle as she booped the screen with her finger. “I didn’t set you up. I just called a friend down at the police station and I- oh, who am I kidding, of COURSE I set you up!” Carrie cackled, causing Aliya to be filled with anger that she had never felt before, her hand shaking as she gripped the phone. 

 

“You… Why would you do this to me?! We had a deal!” 

 

“ _ Had _ a deal, sweetie. As in, you know, the past tense? I changed my mind, obviously.” said Carrie as she rolled her eyes, as if explaining a simple concept to a child. “I started thinking about what you said and about you leaving and, well… You know, no one leaves the family alive, usually. Too many secrets, too much risk, and all that jazz. But I’m fond of you, so I thought I’d at least give you a chance to live out some form of a pathetic life with other pathetic people.” 

 

Aliya was only partially paying attention to Carrie now, her heart racing as she began to run through the image of the building in her mind. The exits would probably be blocked off, so would the stairs and the elevator… 

 

“We could have been great, Ali. I mean, now you’ll probably end up in a cell for the rest of your life. Ooh! Or if you get out of there alive, you could find some way to escape to Cuba or something. Live on the streets like you used to, ducking from the law- Oh! Or maybe you could try your hand at working on a farm-” 

 

The only option would be to get out from this floor. There were windows, but jumping from this height would surely cause anyone who attempted such a stunt to fall to a gruesome death. But what other options were there? Unless...

 

“And I did let it slip that you’ve got those creepy powers and about how ‘dangerous’ you are, so they may just shoot to kill. They actually believed me when I said you can just make shit appear out of nowhere, how crazy is that?” 

 

That’s it! 

 

Aliya took a deep breath, her heart pounding as she heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the floor above, as well as the sound of someone barking orders nearby. She had to move now. Who knows what Carrie had told them- and the thought of spending  life in any type of cell made Aliya sick to her stomach.

 

“Hey, Ali! Are you listening to me?!” An annoyed voice cut Aliya out of her thoughts and she stared at the screen of the phone for a few seconds before speaking.

 

“Fuck you, Carrie.” she said as she tossed the phone to the ground and slammed her foot down onto it, effectively cracknig the screen and rendering it silent. She quickly burst through the door of the storage room and into the hallway, Her form changing to that of one of the police officers from earlier. She walked  casually and confidently down the hall, eyes focused straight ahead. As she walked, she saw man in heavy, black uniforms and bulletproof vests heading in the direction she had just come from. She could hear them yell something about a broken phone and missing files, causing another group of armored men to head in that direction. There appeared  to be some regularly dressed police officers that were unfamiliar to her as well, but something about them was different than your run of the mill cop. She quickened her pace, making her way to the window she had seen earlier. 

 

As she gazed outside, she quickly and quietly opened the window, the sound of her own heart beating wildly in her ears.  Somehow, even in this moment, Aliya couldn’t help but think that Loveland looked absolutely beautiful at this time of night. The street lights that lit up the town below filled her with a renewed sense of hope. It almost felt as if the city’s warm glow had been inviting her to take the leap of faith that she needed to escape. 

 

“Hey! You over there!  What are you doing? Pay attention.” A stern voice suddenly pulled Aliya out of her thoughts and she turned in the direction of the voice, her eyes landing on a familiar looking figure. It took Aliya a moment to remember the face from her past, but after a few moments, she was  certain that she knew the man that was speaking to her. Short light brown hair, fierce, bright eyes, and a commanding voice that could cause even civilians in a room to stand at attention. 

 

“Gavin?” she asked quietly, the illusion around her body wavering a bit.  

 

Gavin’s eyes widened and he was quick to draw his weapon. Within seconds, multiple of the men in black had pulled out the  weapons, and she found herself staring down the barrel of heavy firearms. 

 

“Put your hands where i can see them!” ordered Gavin, causing a look of panic to flash on Aliya’s face. She quickly did as she was instructed, lifting both of her hands into the air and standing as still as possible. The illusion faded completely, and the officer’s image was no longer there, revealing a very stressed Akiya in its place. 

 

“They’re up, they’re up! I don’t have anything on me!” she shouted, knowing that one false move could be her last. Carrie wasn’t kidding- they certainly looked like they were in a shoot-to-kill position. She saw Gavin’s expression falter a bit as she looked eyes with him, causing her to smile. “Sup, troublemaker? Long time no see.” she said with a nervous laugh, causing Gavin to visibly tense up. She took this opportunity to slowly step back towards the window. Aliya heard multiple clicks as the men cocked their guns, causing her to tense up as well. 

 

“Hold your fire!” Gavin ordered, causing all of the men to stand perfectly still, eyes and guns trained on her in a way that caused Aliya to feel like a hunted animal. There would be no second chances if she made a mistake. She would have to do it now if she was going to have any chance of escape.

 

“Aliya… Listen to me. Slowly step away from the window.” Gavin spoke in an even calm tone, however, Aliya didn’t move. 

 

Most police officers make the decision to pull the trigger in less than a quarter of a second. She slowly took another step back towards the window, taking a deep breath. 

 

“Aliya! Did you hear me? I said to step away from the window!” Gavin shouted this time, causing Aliya to tense up even more. Even if it was something simple, if she just focused hard enough… 

 

“Sir-” one ofo the armored men began to speak, causing Gavin to snap at him. 

 

“I told you to hold your fire!” 

 

Now. 

 

A blinding, white light appeared in front of Aliya. Momentarily blinding the officers as Aliya turned and launched herself through the window. The sight of the lively city below filled her eyes as she the cold night air hit her face, her arms outstretched, reaching for something that wasn’t there. The image of a giant bluejay appeared before her- large, royal blue wings spanning the width of the entire building. The majestic being was covered in a soft, blue light, like an angel descending from the heavens. It hovered in midair, talons outstretched like a hand reaching to catch Aliya’s fall. 

 

The sound of shouting officers rang through Aliya’s ears she desperately reached for the creature that she had created. She just had to focus- it was right there within reach and it was real. It had to be real, it just had to be.

 

_ I believe in you. So, now you just gotta believe in yourself, right?  _

 

She heard Gavin’s voice yelling from the building behind her, causing a moment of doubt, of fear, and of panic to floor Aliya’s mind as she closed her hand around the claw of her creation. That moment had cost her everything. 

 

Aliya’s hand grasped emptiness, her fingers phasing through the bird’s talons as if it were never there. Her eyes widened as she stared up at the beautiful creature, an overwhelming feeling that she could not describe welling up inside her chest. Gravity quickly took over, and Aliya felt herself begin to plummet towards the concrete street below. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she accepted her fate, her mind going blank except for one thought: 

 

It was better this way. 

 

She had failed- and having no life at all was  way better than a life in chains. All she had ever wanted was peace. Peace from the White Coats, peace from Carrie’s bullshit, peace from the crushing reality of the world that she often desperately tried to escape. Maybe that was why it didn’t work, maybe she had gotten so fed up with living that she had sabotaged her only chance of escape. 

 

It was better this way 

 

Exhaustion hit Aliya’s body like a ton of bricks as she felt air leaving her lungs, and for the first time in years, she allowed herself to drift into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. 


	3. Chapter 2: A Good Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter finally has Victor and Gavin introduced into it. Gavin does his best to get Aliya out of the mess she's gotten herself into, and unfortunately it revolves around having to cooperate with Victor as well.

After the bright light had faded and Gavin saw Aliya jump, he felt an overwhelming sense of panic and desperation, quickly running to the window and  pulling himself through, using the wind tot keep himself elevated as he hurried to catch the unconscious girl. He was able to use his powers to slow her fall just enough for him to get to her before she could descend further, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, sighing in relief when he heard her quiet, ragged breathing.  

 

As he looked down at Aliya's sleeping expression, he frowned and slowly landed in front of the building. He quickly carried her to a group of special operatives and an ambulance on standby that had been waiting down below. Within moments, the medics had rolled out a stretcher for Gavin, and he gently, yet reluctantly placed her onto the soft material. 

 

“What happened to you, Ali?” he asked quietly, gently running a hand through the girl’s hair. She remained unresponsive, and was quickly placed into the back of the ambulance for transport. Gavin watched wordlessly as the vehicle drove off alongside a couple of police escorts, his mind full of questions and his heart full of worry. 

 

“She’s alive?” A deep, commanding voice reached Gavin’s ears and he was pulled out of ihs thoughts, causing him to turn to the man that had spoken. 

 

“Yeah. She just passed out, she should be fine.” Answered Gavin, ignoring the chatter of the other officers behind him. 

 

“So, what will happen to her now?” the man seemed completely unbothered by what was going on- in fact, he even appeared to be a bit amused. 

 

“Well, we’ll wait for her to wake up and give her a thorough interrogation. Considering her abilities, we’d likely have to take her to… to a different type of facility.” While Gavin’s voice remained steady and calm, he seemed uncomfortable with the thought of Aliya ending up in THAT kind of place. 

 

“So you’re saying you’ll detain her.” surmised the sharply dressed man, causing Gavin to nod. 

 

“Unfortunately, yes. We’ll have to. Even if she didn’t necessarily take anything, she came with the intent to do so. That and even though she likely wasn’t working alone, she’ll have to face the consequences for her actions. This incident could be tied to something bigger, and we need to make sure that things don’t get out of hand.” Gavin explained. The other man looked deep in thought for a moment, his mind running through the events of the night and what he had seen. 

 

“And if I don’t want to press charges?” he asked, causing a look of surprise to flash across Gavin’s face. 

 

“Well, it’s… not that simple. We would still have to interrogate her to figure out what she was doing there and why. And again, we have reason to believe that this isn’t just a one off incident. Though I suppose if you have any suggestions, I’d be open to hearing them, Victor.” 

 

With that, the man smirked as he began to explain his plan to the officer, causing Gavin’s expression to slowly shift into that of a smile. Neither of them noticed a dark skinned, blue-haired woman standing in a nearby alleyway, watching the scene with interest.  She pulled a phone out of her pocket, a grim expression on her face as she speed dialed a number in her contact list. 

 

“Yo. You were right, that crazy bitch did it.” The woman’s expression turned into one of pride. “She’s alive. They’re taking her in though.” She paused as the  first person on the other end of the phone began to laugh. “Keep an eye on her for now? Got it. Yeah, I’ll do that too, no worries.” With that the woman hung up, a wide smile on her face. 

 

“Not bad, Ali. Looks like you’ll live to run another day.” she said with a relieved sigh. For now, she would wait, and watch from a distance. After all, things were just starting to get interesting.

~~~~~

Aliya was woken by the sound of an obnoxious, steady beeping in her ear. Her eyes struggled to focus as she was blinded by the pristine, white walls of the hospital room. As she lifted her hand in front of her face, she frowned, as if uncertain if what she saw was real. 

 

She was alive. And completely unharmed at that. 

 

“Damn.” She murmured as her eyes darted to the door. While she was still unsteady, she quickly and roughly ripped the IV needle from her arm, unhooking herself from the machines and rushing to her room’s exit. However, no matter how hard she pushed or pulled, the door didn’t budge. 

“It’s locked. After you jumped out of that window, we figured it would be best to lock any possible exits.” A calm yet concerned voice spoke, and upon turning around, Aliya spotted Gavin. He was dressed up in his tacky little cop outfit, causing Aliya to slowly smirk. 

 

“Sup, Gavy, it’s been awhile.” She said as she turned around to face him. “You look good. Except, I never thought you’d grow up to be a literal narc.” Aliya claimed as she continued to fiddle with the door handle. Yep. Definitely locked. 

 

“And I never expected YOU to grow up to be a criminal.” Gavin didn’t look amused, but rather than looking angry, he appeared to be a bit… sad? Weird. What a weirdo.

 

“Yeah, I expected to be dead by now. But for some reason, I’m alive and well. Any idea as to how I survived becoming a street pancake?” Her words were almost accusatory, as if she were disappointed in the fact that she was, in fact, not a street pancake. 

 

“I caught you.” Said Gavin simply, his eyes avoiding hers as he nervously rubbed the back of his head. 

 

“And how did you manage to do that, exactly? If you caught me, you would have also become a street pancake. Simple laws of physics: force, acceleration- you’d be dead. Unless…” started Aliya, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Unless you’re like me. You’ve got superpowers too?” 

 

“Let’s change the subject.” Said Gavin as he cleared his throat, causing Aliya to frown. “What were you even thinking? You almost died, Ali! And do you even realize how much trouble you’re in?” 

 

Okay,  _ now _ he was angry. 

 

“Um… at the very least you’ve got me on grand larceny, impersonation, attempt to blackmail, breaking and entering… so, I would assume a lot?” Said Aliya as she placed a hand to her cheek thoughtfully, imagining the many years of her life passing by in a jail cell. Yeah, definitely a lot of trouble. 

 

“Can you take this seriously?! If I hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t even be breathing right now. Doesn’t that bother you?” Gavin’s voice sounded pained, and Aliya couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of guilt in her chest. Only a slight one though. 

 

“Yeah, it does. Leave it to you to ruin everything.” Said Aliya under her breath before noticing Gavin’s eyebrows furrow in frustration. “Sorry, Gavin, I just… that's how I handle things. There’s nothing I can do about it now. Like you said, I’m in a lot of trouble, right? I don’t need a lecture, just handcuff me and get it over with.” 

 

“Actually, there is something you can do about it.” replied Gavin as he stood and approached Aliya, causing her to cautiously back away from him. He appeared to be a bit hurt by her response as she avoided eye contact with him. “If you cooperate, then-” 

 

“Look, Gavin, I think you’re great, but I’m not going to sleep with you for less time.” said Aliya flatly, still avoiding his gaze. 

 

“Wh-what?! That’s not wha-” 

 

“You’re cute, you’ve grown into your large forehead, and you’re sweet, but I’m not that type of girl. I’ll take prison.” she continued, her face turning red as she anxiously poked her fingers together. 

 

“That’s not what I was suggesting at all! I meant that if you agreed to work with us, we could cut you a deal and you wouldn’t have to spend your life in a jail cell!” It took everything inside of Gavin to keep from raising his voice. As heat rose to his cheeks, he internally wondered if this conversation was going to take decades off of his life. He quickly explained the details of the offer, carefully watching Aliya’s expression change as he did so. 

 

“Oh. Boring. Disappointing…” saiid Aliya thoughtfully as she closed her eyes, appearing to be deep in thought. “So, this ‘deal’ or whatever. I give you information related to the various... incidents I was involved in. You monitor me as I enjoy my pseudo freedom, and in return, I get to live in normal society.” After a few moments, she came to this conclusion, and didn’t seemed very pleased with it. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m no snitch. And I don’t make deals with cops. It’s nothing personal but it’s against my principles. That, and it could get me killed, so hard pass.” 

 

“You would be under police protection.” claimed Gavin, hoping to dispel any anxieties  that Aliya had about her safety. He would be in charge of monitoring her, and he would never,  _ ever _ let anything bad happen to her. 

 

“Don’t trust cops.” 

 

“Technically, you would be under  _ my _ protection.” 

 

“Worse, that’s way worse, Gavin.” 

 

“Ali…” 

Aliya sighed and ran a hand through her hair in stress as she weighed her options, but she could only imagine the hell that would be brought into her life if she were to be seen dealing with the police. 

 

“Even if I agreed, you think I could just go back to living a normal life? Where am I gonna go? The family has probably already blacklisted me, meaning my employment options are limited. I’ve really messed up, Gavin. There is no ‘normal life’ to go back to.” as Aliya finally expressed her concerns, Gavin’s lips curled into a smile. 

 

“About that… We’ve already got that covered.” As Gavin spoke, the doorknob turned and a tall, commanding figure entered the room, practically bumping into Aliya as he entered, causing her to wheel around in surprise. 

 

“Ah? You, you’re… that asshole from before.” Aliya stared up a Victor with a confused expression, causing him to scoff at her. 

 

“And you’re that idiot thief with no manners. It’s good to see that you’re already up and about, ‘Goldman.’” As Victor spoke, there was a hint of amusement in his voice that Aliya didn’t take kindly too- it was as if he was mocking her! She got bad vibes from this guy just by looking at pictures, so seeing him in person once again was enough to put her on guard. 

 

“What the hell is this, Gavin? You brought this guy in to lecture me too?” asked Aliya, placing her hands on her hips as she stared up at Victor defiantly. “I’m not sorry, by the way. People like you are just begging to be knocked down a peg. Too bad i got caught before-” 

 

“Victor is going to offer you a job in exchange for your cooperation.” Gavin quickly interrupted, clearing his throat before Aliya could say anything more incriminating to her character. 

 

“... Oh. Shit. Seriously? A job at LFG?” Aliya’s expression wavered and she backed down almost immediately, breaking eye contact with Victor as she anxiously looked at the wall. “Don’t suppose I can retract my last statement?” 

 

“Unfortunately for you, no. In fact, I would like to hear more about what you were going to do before you got caught. Consider it to be part of your interview.” said Victor as he leaned forward to be eye level with Aliya, his cold eyes scanning her face for a reaction. “I was going to give you two minutes to impress me and demonstrate that you’re not just some dumb, petty thief, but now, you have 75 seconds. Go.” 

 

“What? You can’t be serious-” 

 

“70 seconds.” 

 

Aliya quickly looked to Gavin for assistance, but he could only look at her with a pitying expression, causing her to curse before turning her back to Victor, closing her eyes to focus and think about what she should do. 

 

“55 seconds.” Victor’s calm voice interrupted her thoughts, and she almost had the mind to smack him. 

 

“With my… previous employer, I handled the financial documentation, company progression reports, revenue charts, individual ‘employee’ performance, clientele satisfaction, marketing research, AND I can make a bomb ass PowerPoint. You could ask me about any trend, craze, or product in Loveland and I could tell you about it. I’m  _ much _ better than some ‘dumb thief.’” While Aliya puffed out her chest in pride, Victor appeared to be completely unimpressed as he spoke, eyes on his watch.

 

“Prove it. 35 seconds.” 

 

Victor’s challenging tone caused Aliya’s smirk to widen, and she took a deep breath before various holographic images appeared in the air- each with various numbers, figures, and diagrams. 

 

“Loveland Financial Group’s progress over the past year in comparison to the other internationally known corporations on the top ten list. If you look here, here, and here, it appears that LFG is doing well in the market compared to its competitors. However, the numbers have remained consistent over time whereas competitors 2, 7, and 9 show a slow but steady incline in clients and investors. Meaning, Mr. Victor, if you don’t think of something new, particularly in the real estate sector, you’ll be very quickly overtaken. By the way, I suggest a plan that, for a change, doesn’t involve gentrification.” Aliya spoke with confidence, standing tall as Victor approached each transparent ‘screen,’ leaning forward with interest as he observed them. 

 

“So, this is your power… And how did you get this data, exactly?” asked Victor thoughtfully after  moments of silence. 

 

“Not bad for a ‘dumb thief,’ right? I can make illusions, like when I was pretending to be that cute nerd that worked for you. In any case, I was able to surmise this information myself through what was available online. The numbers probably aren’t exact, but I’m confident that my equations were in a pretty good ballpark based on marketing research alone. All I did was compile the info and do the math.” Said Aliya as the images all turned to face Victor. “Go ahead. Check me.” 

 

“No need. I’ve seen all that I need to see.” Said Victor as he waved his hand through one of the screens. One by one, the images disappeared, leaving only Aliya in their place, arms folded. “You still went over by 15 seconds, and you spoke too quickly, so the presentation was sloppy.” 

 

Aliya’s jaw dropped as Victor criticixed her work, and she felt a very strong urge to punch something. Was this dude for real?! As she struggled to come up with a suitable response, victor seemed to be absorbed in his thoughts as he began to process the information that he had just seen. 

 

It was flawless. Not a single mistake, and much better than expected given limited resources and time. The woman was a quick thinker, her memory was impeccable, and her attention to detail was uncanny. Sure, she had a bit of an attitude, but that was nothing a little discipline couldn’t fix. 

 

“I’m satisfied.” said Victor as he turned to  Gavin, causing the police officer to release the breath that he had been holding. 

 

“That’s… good. Unexpected, but good.” While Gavin was a bit anxious about this arrangement, it would be the best option considering Victor already seemed to generally know about the case, meaning that they wouldn’t have to tiptoe around any sensitive information. Though Aliya and Victor appeared to be… rather incompatible personality wise. 

 

“Can she start tomorrow?” Victor’s voice interrupted Gavin’s thoughts, and he looked up to see Aliya sticking her tongue out at Victor from behind his back. 

 

“Er, yes, she can. We should have the paperwork done by the end of the day, now that she’s agreed to the conditions.” said Gavin, a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he watched Aliya’s childish gestures. 

 

“Wait what?” asked Aliya, momentarily ceasing flipping Victor off as she looked at Gavin. “I didn’t agree to anything!”

 

“The paperwork is already filled out on my end. She can sign her part tomorrow.” Victor completely ignored Aliya, as did Gavin, who nodded approvingly. 

 

“Good. After she signs a couple of documents here, she’ll be free to go home and get ready to work at your office by tomorrow. I’ll also send you the times and dates she’s scheduled to come in to debrief us on the case, as well as the details for her parole. You can contact me if you have any issues.” Victor nodded in response before leaving the hospital room without another word, closing the door before Aliya could follow him or say anything further. It was then that Gavin shoved a clipboard into Aliya’s arms, causing her to stare at him in disbelief. 

 

“Gavin, you-” 

 

“The sooner you sign the agreement, the sooner we can let you leave.” Gavin interrupted, causing her to frown at him. “Of course, I’ll go over everything with you before you sign it, but this is the best that I can do for you. If you don’t take the offer, then I’ll have no other choice but to detain you.” Gavin’s voice was cold, and the thought of ending up in a prison cell seemed to cause hehr a bit of panic as she stared down at the documents in her hands. 

 

“I’m helping you get a second chance, Ali. I need you to trust me to help you.” Gavin’s voice was much softer in her ears this time, and she felt a warm hand rest on her head in an affectionate gesture, causing her to stare up at him with wide eyes. Gavin’s gentle smile was like a salve for her soul, and she felt her worries begin to melt away, even if only for a moment. 

 

“You’ll… you’ll protect me, right?”

 

“Of course.” 

 

“And you won’t go back on your promise?” she asked, her usually confident voice wavering into uncertainty. 

 

“I’ve never gone back on my promise. If you ever need me, you can call me and I’ll come to your side- that offer has always been on the table. You know that.”  

 

Gavin’s words stirred a very uncomfortable, familiar feeling in Aliya’s chest and she quickly stared down at the papers once more. She hated depending on people,  and she hated this stupid sense of attachment that she felt towards Gavin. However, she knew that she could trust him, if not anyone else. He had never let her down before, and maybe if she had contacted him sooner… 

 

No. There was no use in thinking about the “what if’s.” There was only the here and now, and these were the consequences that she would have to deal with. At least now, she wasn’t dealing with them alone. 

 

“Alright, fine. You’ve got a deal. Now, where do I sign?” she asked, looking up at him with a nervous smile. 

 

Everything would work out, right? Now, if she could only figure out what to do about her new boss….


End file.
